Orioles react to losing Markakis for six weeks

The Orioles clubhouse wasn’t exactly in a celebrating mood after Saturday’s 5-4 victory over the Yankees that again tied up first place in the American League East.

The broken left thumb suffered by lead off hitter and Gold Glove outfielder Nick Markakis, which will sideline him at least six weeks and end his regular season, was obviously the talk of the night.

Buck Showalter said he gave a hug to Markakis in the dugout tunnel and they shared “a private moment.” Showalter was rather emotional when he left the podium after his post-game press conference.

Here are some quotes from some of the Orioles about the Markakis injury:

Buck Showalter: “It's emotional for all of us because we know how much he means, and more importantly, how much the Orioles mean to him. He's been here from the start and to get this opportunity... If I know our guys, they're going to rally around him. He's a special breed. We're lucky. The more you manage, the more you're lucky to have a guy like him, regardless of the statistics say. If you get bogged down with statistics, you'd never be able to make out your lineup.”

Adam Jones: “It sucks. What do you want me to say? It sucks. It’s September and one of our best players is down for the rest of the year. It sucks. What can we do about that? … Complaining’s not going to heal his hand tomorrow. We’ve got to rally around him. It’s part of the game. People have injuries late in the year. It’s extremely unfortunate. It sucks, but it’s sports. It’s professional sports. It’s how things happen sometimes.

Mark Reynolds: “This is the second broken bone he’s had all year and that’s the only thing that keeps him out. He’s a good teammate and a good guy. He’s been here a long time, been through the losing and now we’re finally winning. Now he’s going to have to cheer us on, which sucks. I think he’s going to make the best of the situation and be here on the ride with us the whole way. … A big part of our team is gone now. Someone’s going to step up, no doubt about it, maybe not able to fill what Nicky’s can contribute, but maybe just enough. The other guys on the team, it’s their opportunity to fill this void. I think we can do it.”

Joe Saunders: “It’s just sad on a somber side that we lost Nicky. It’s tough, Just coming over here for a couple weeks you can tell he is one of the hearts and souls of this team. We are going to miss him and miss his bat.”

Darren O’Day: “It’s a huge loss. He obviously has been driving our team since he came back. We’ll scratch and claw. We’ve had some turnover this year and we’ll find a way to do the best we can.”